Activity of some glycolytic and pentose phosphate pathway enzymes during the development of adventitious roots

Activities of phosphofructokinase (PFK, EC 2.7.1.11), glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate (NAD) dehydrogenase [G-3-PD(NAD), EC 1.2.1.12], glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G-6-PD, EC 1.1.1.49), and 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase (6-PGD, EC 1.1.1.44) were determined in bean cuttings (Phaseolus vulgaris L. cv. Top Crop) over 4 days, encompassing adventitious root primordium initiation and development. Effects of applied auxin and “endogenous root-forming stimulus”(ERS) on enzyme activities, concentrations of reducing sugars, and primordium development were also determined during the first 4 days of propagation. Effects of auxin were determined through use of applied indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) or 2,3,5-triiodobenzoic acid. Effects of ERS were evaluated by means of decapitation of cuttings. Increased basipetal transport and increased metabolism of reducing sugars occurred in leafy cuttings in response to applied IAA and to ERS. Primordium development and activities of the four enzymes increased in leafy cuttings under conditions that simultaneously increased basipetal transport and metabolism of reducing sugars. Three types of enzyme activity response were found: (i) activity increased over time by ERS and by applied IAA [G-3-PD(NAD)], (ii) activity increased over time by ERS but not by applied IAA (PFK, G-6-PD), (iii) activity increased over time but not by ERS or applied IAA (6-PGD). Increases in G-3-PD(NAD), G-6-PD, and PFK activity in leafy cuttings were positively related to primordium development. 6-PGD activity increased in leafy cuttings during primordium development and may have supported it. However, equal increases occurred in decapitated cuttings, in which the long-term development of primordia was supressed. Results for G-3-PD(NAD) that were obtained in an experiment with jack pine (Pinus banksiana Lamb.) seedling cuttings were similar to results for the same enzyme in bean cuttings. G-3-PD(NAD) activity in naphthaleneacetic acid-treated jack pine cuttings increased with time, in comparison with untreated cuttings, before root emergence.     

Activity of pentose phosphate pathway enzymes in alkane-oxidizing yeast cells]

The activity of the key enzymes of the pentose phosphate pathway (glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase, 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase, transketolase) was determined in cell-free homogenates of Candida lipolytica 695 and Candida tropicalis 303 growing on different carbon sources. The activity of these enzymes remained almost the same in the course of growth of both cultures. The activity of the enzymes differed only slightly in the cells metabolizing hexadecane and glucose. The activity of glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase and 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase in the cell-free homogenates of C. tropicalis 303 was twice as high as in the cells of C. lipolytica 695. The activity of transketolase was the same in both cultures. The main role of the pentose phosphate pathway is presumed to consist not in catabolism of the carbon source, but in biosynthesis of pentoses and other important intermediates.     

Regulation of the pentose phosphate pathway in cancer

Energy metabolism is significantly reprogrammed in many human cancers, and these alterations confer many advantages to cancer cells, including the promotion of biosynthesis, ATP generation, detoxification and support of rapid proliferation. The pentose phosphate pathway (PPP) is a major pathway for glucose catabolism. The PPP directs glucose flux to its oxidative branch and produces a reduced form of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH), an essential reductant in anabolic processes. It has become clear that the PPP plays a critical role in regulating cancer cell growth by supplying cells with not only ribose-5-phosphate but also NADPH for detoxification of intracellular reactive oxygen species, reductive biosynthesis and ribose biogenesis. Thus, alteration of the PPP contributes directly to cell proliferation, survival and senescence. Furthermore, recent studies have shown that the PPP is regulated oncogenically and/or metabolically by numerous factors, including tumor suppressors, oncoproteins and intracellular metabolites. Dysregulation of PPP flux dramatically impacts cancer growth and survival. Therefore, a better understanding of how the PPP is reprogrammed and the mechanism underlying the balance between glycolysis and PPP flux in cancer will be valuable in developing therapeutic strategies targeting this pathway.     

The pentose phosphate pathway in the endoplasmic reticulum

Approximately the same levels of six of the seven enzymes catalyzing reactions of the pentose phosphate pathway are in the cisternae of washed microsomes from rat heart, spleen, lung, and brain. Renal and hepatic microsomes also have detectable levels of these enzymes except ribulose-5-phosphate epimerase and ribose-5-phosphate isomerase. Their location in the cisternae is indicated by their latencies, i.e. requirement for disruption of the membrane for activity. In addition, transketolase, transaldolase, and glucose-6-phosphatase, a known cisternal enzyme, are inactivated by chymotrypsin and subtilisin only in disrupted hepatic microsomes under conditions in which NADPH-cytochrome c reductase, an enzyme on the external surface, is inactivated equally in intact and disrupted microsomes. The failure to detect the epimerase and isomerase in hepatic microsomes is due to inhibition of their assays by ketopentose-5-phosphatase. Xylulose 5-phosphate is hydrolyzed faster than ribulose 5-phosphate. A mild heat treatment destroys hepatic xylulose-5-phosphatase and glucose-6-phosphatase without affecting acid phosphatase. These results plus the established wide distribution of glucose dehydrogenase, the microsomal glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, and its localization to the lumen of the endoplasmic reticulum suggest that most mammalian cells have two sets of enzymes of the pentose phosphate pathway: one is cytoplasmic and the other is in the endoplasmic reticulum. The activity of the microsomal pentose phosphate pathway is estimated to be about 1.5% that of the cytoplasmic pathway.     

The pentose phosphate pathway in Trypanosoma cruzi

The pentose phosphate pathway has been studied in Trypanosoma cruzi, Clone CL Brener. Functioning of the pathway was demonstrated in epimastigotes by measuring the evolution of (14)CO(2) from [1-(14)C] or [6-(14)C]D-glucose. Glucose consumption through the PPP increased from 9.9% to 20.4% in the presence of methylene blue, which mimics oxidative stress. All the enzymes of the PPP are present in the four major developmental stages of the parasite. Subcellular localisation experiments suggested that the PPP enzymes have a cytosolic component, predominant in most cases, although all of them also seem to have organellar localisation(s).     

The pentose phosphate pathway and parasitic protozoa

The pentose phosphate pathway plays a crucial role in the host-parasite relationship. It maintains a pool of NADPH, which serves to protect against oxidant stress and which generates carbohydrate intermediates used in nucleotide and other biosynthetic pathways. Deficiency in the first enzyme of the pathway, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, protects human erythrocytes from infection with Plasmodium falciparum for reasons that remain obscure. Loss of the third enzyme of the pathway, 6-phosphogluconate de-hydrogenase, is toxic, suggesting this enzyme might be a target for chemotherapy. Mike Barrett here summarizes the roles of the pentose phosphate pathway in various parasitic protozoa.     

Mutants of the pentose phosphate pathway in Aspergillus nidulans

Mutants of the pentose phosphate pathway have been isolated in Aspergillus nidulans. These fail to grow on a variety of carbohydrates that are catabolized through the pentose phosphate pathway. They also grow poorly on nitrate and nitrite as sole nitrogen sources. The pentose phosphate pathway mutations have been assigned to two unlinked genes. Mutants with lesions in the pppB locus have reduced activities of four enzymes of the pentose phosphate pathway, of glucose-phosphate isomerase, and of mannitol-1-phosphate dehydrogenase. pppA(-) mutants have elevated activities of these same enzymes except for transaldolase, for which they have much reduced activity. Both classes of mutants accumulate sedoheptulose-7-phosphate to an extent that is increased considerably when nitrate is present in the medium. Nitrate does not cause an increase in accumulation of sedoheptulose-7-phosphate in double mutants which, in addition to the pppA1 mutation, carry a mutation that leads to the lack of nitrate reductase activity. These last results suggest that nitrate stimulates the flux through the oxidative pentose phosphate pathway, but that this stimulation depends upon the metabolism of nitrate.     

Role of the pentose phosphate pathway during callus development in explants from potato tuber

Metabolic change during callus formation in explants from potatotuber (Solarium tuberosum L.) was investigated. Under the presentculture conditions, callus starts exponential growth (estimatedby the fresh weight increase) with a 5-day lag period, at whichtime marked production of DNA occurs. In the lag period, respirationis very much resistant to malonate, and the value of the C6/C1ratio and activities of both G6PDH 6PGDH pass their peaks. Onthe basis of these and relevant findings, glucose metabolismthrough the PP pathway is surmised to play a significant rolein the initial DNA multiplication phase of callus development. (Received October 15, 1969; )     

The pentose phosphate pathway in developing chick cornea

Embryonic chick corneas at different stages of development were evaluated for activity of the pentose phosphate pathway. The appearance of activity was concurrent with the onset of corneal transperancy (stage 40). Highest values were found after complete transparency is achieved (stage 45 and after hatching). Phenazine methosulfate, an artificial electron acceptor, increased activity at all stages studied even before endogenous activity was measurable; however, no increase in glucose uptake was observed. Thus, the enzymes for the pathway are present at early stages (i.e., stage 38 and 40) although in latent form. The pathway probably functions in the developing cornea to generate NADPH rather than sugar moieties for macromolecular incorporation.     

Dehydrogenases of the pentose phosphate pathway in rat liver peroxisomes

Subcellular distribution of pentose-phosphate cycle enzymes in rat liver was investigated, using differential and isopycnic centrifugation. The activities of the NADP+-dependent dehydrogenases of the pentose-phosphate pathway (glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase and phosphogluconate dehydrogenase) were detected in the purified peroxisomal fraction as well as in the cytosol. Both dehydrogenases were localized in the peroxisomal matrix. Chronic administration of the hypolipidemic drug clofibrate (ethyl-alpha-p-chlorophenoxyisobutyrate) caused a 1.5-2.5-fold increase in the amount of glucose-6-phosphate and phosphogluconate dehydrogenases in the purified peroxisomes. Clofibrate decreased the phosphogluconate dehydrogenase, but did not alter glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase activity in the cytosolic fraction. The results obtained indicate that the enzymes of the non-oxidative segment of the pentose cycle (transketolase, transaldolase, triosephosphate isomerase and glucose-phosphate isomerase) are present only in a soluble form in the cytosol, but not in the peroxisomes or other particles, and that ionogenic interaction of the enzymes with the mitochondrial and other membranes takes place during homogenization of the tissue in 0.25 M sucrose. Similar to catalase, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase and phosphogluconate dehydrogenase are present in the intact peroxisomes in a latent form. The enzymes have Km values for their substrates in the millimolar range (0.2 mM for glucose-6-phosphate and 0.10-0.12 mM for 6-phosphogluconate). NADP+, but not NAD+, serves as a coenzyme for both enzymes. Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase was inhibited by palmitoyl-CoA, and to a lesser extent by NADPH. Peroxisomal glucose-6-phosphate and phosphogluconate dehydrogenases have molecular mass of 280 kDa and 96 kDa, respectively. The putative functional role of pentose-phosphate cycle dehydrogenases in rat liver peroxisomes is discussed.     

Characterization of glycolysis and pentose phosphate pathway activity during sperm entry into the mouse oocyte

Studying the events that occur during gamete fusion and sperm decondensation in the oocyte remains difficult because sperm-oocyte fusion and subsequent sperm decondensation represent a short part of the fertilization process, and their exact timing is difficult to determine. There is therefore a need for greater understanding of the events that occur during this period. The main purpose of this study was to examine the metabolic aspects of this time frame by characterizing glucose metabolism (glycolytic and pentose phosphate pathway [PPP] activities) during sperm fusion and decondensation into zona-free oocytes in mice. The metabolism of glucose through both glycolysis and the PPP was measured in ovulated MII oocytes, free of cumulus cells, and the levels of glucose metabolized were found to be low. Upon sperm entry, both glycolytic and PPP activity increased substantially. To determine whether this elevation in glucose metabolism was part of the activation process, the metabolism of parthenogenetically activated oocytes was measured, and no increase in metabolism was observed. The characterization of glucose metabolism during sperm fusion and decondensation into the oocyte, and comparison to parthenogenetically activated oocytes, showed that the fertilizing sperm is responsible for an increase in both glycolytic and PPP activity during fusion and/or decondensation. The significance of this observation during the fertilization process and for the developing embryo is as yet unclear and warrants further investigation.     

New reaction sequences for the non-oxidative pentose phosphate pathway.

1. Reactions leading to the formation of 14C-labelled volatile compounds and compounds volatile under acid conditions were investigated in a system actively synthesizing hexose 6-phosphates from [U-14C]ribose 5-phosphate by reactions catalysed by enzymes prepared from acetone-dried powder of rat liver; no reactions involving 14C-labelled volatile compounds were detected. Similarly the fixation of 14C-labelled volatile compounds into hexose 6-phosphate could not be detected. 2. A complete carbon balance was made for the reactants, intermediates and products of the reactions involved in the conversion of ribose 5-phosphate into hexose 6-phosphate by enzymes of rat liver. Five additional intermediates of pentose 5-phosphate metabolism in liver were detected, namely D-manno-heptulose 7-phosphate, D-altro-heptulose 1,7-bisphosphate, D-glycero-D-ido-octulose 1,8-bisphosphate, D-glycero-D-altro-octulose 1,8-bisphosphate and D-arabinose 5-phosphate. 3. D-Arabinose 5-phosphate was found to be utilized by a rat liver enzyme preparation to produce both hexose 6-phosphate and triose phosphate. 4. D-Arabinose 5-phosphate was reversibly converted into other pentose 5-phosphates. Paper chromatographic and enzymic evidence indicated that the conversion involved an enzyme tentatively named arabinose phosphate 2-epimerase, which catalyses the following reaction: D-arabinose 5-P in equilibrium D-ribose-5-P. 5. A variety of rat tissues also utilized D-arabinose 5-phosphate to produce both hexose 6-phosphate and triose phosphate and at a rate comparable with that obtained with D-ribose 5-phosphate. 6. A new reaction sequence for the non-oxidative pentose phosphate pathway in liver is proposed.